Donald Trump's dream of building the "world's best golf course" in Scotland was resurrected yesterday after the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, intervened to save the £1bn project.

The billionaire property developer has been fighting to save his proposal to build two championship golf courses on the coast north of Aberdeen after it was unexpectedly rejected last week by local councillors - to the dismay and fury of the scheme's supporters.

Trump had warned he might take his project to Northern Ireland and had given Aberdeenshire 30 days to find a way to overturn its own planning committee's decision. But in a surprise move, the Scottish executive announced last night it would take charge of the application, under rarely used powers in the 1997 Town and Country Planning Act, on the grounds it "raises issues of importance that require consideration at a national level".

The council had suggested the only way it could reconsider the proposal, which Trump claims would create 1,250 jobs and add £47m a year to the economy, was if he resubmitted his planning application. Neil Hobday, the resort's project director, said Trump was "impressed" and very pleased at the Scottish executive's decision. "We feel it couldn't be in better hands," he said. "We felt something like this was required. We'd been looking at all the other options - an appeal, special hearings and other stuff. I think ministers have made a brave decision, because I think the government has listened to the people."

Salmond is MP for the Balmedie area where Trump plans to build the resort and had dinner with the property magnate in New York last month. He is known to have been furious at the local council decision. Although it was taken on the casting vote of the Liberal Democrat chair of the committee, two councillors from his own SNP also voted against the resort.

Scottish executive officials said last night the review would be led by John Swinney, the cabinet secretary for finance who is responsible for planning and a close ally of Salmond's.

The move leaves the Scottish executive open to legal challenge from the course's opponents, who insist that Trump's plans to build nearly 1,000 holiday flats and 500 homes breach planning guidelines.